COMMUNICATIONS/NOTIFICATIONS: Add an option for users to receive a notification in the Messages section or as a pop-up when a patient cancels an upcoming appointment from their Portal account, or via the notification sent 72 hours before the appointment. Additionally, include a mandatory section requiring patients to enter or select a reason for canceling the appointment before the cancellation is completed, so the clinic can be informed and follow up for rescheduling if needed.

Affected Users:
Administrators and secretaries responsible for assisting health professionals with their schedules.

Task Affected:
Being promptly informed when an appointment is cancelled, along with the reason for the cancellation (e.g., scheduling conflict requiring rescheduling, symptoms resolved, out of town, visited the ER, etc.).

Impact:
Without automated notifications and a mandatory section requiring patients to enter or select a reason for canceling an appointment, staff must manually check each professional’s schedule to ensure they are aware of all cancellations and then contact patients if they need to understand the reason for the cancellation. This is time-consuming and can delay efforts to fill open appointment slots quickly.

Current State:
There is currently no notification system in place to inform users when a patient cancels an upcoming appointment, either through their Portal account or if the patient cancels from the notification sent 72 hours before the appointment.
No way for the clinic to include a mandatory section requiring patients to enter or select a reason for canceling the appointment before the cancellation is completed.

Competition Consideration:
N/A